Can you beat it? And then every mother's
son of them declared it was a feat that no one else in the world could
have pulled off but me, and as I was nowhere to be found, it was only
natural that all of them should believe the lie that Ugo told.
"And now comes the maddening part of the whole business. He said that
the crown jewels were gone! I heard him telling how he was awakened
out of a sound sleep by a man with a gun, who forced him to open the
safe and hand over the treasure. Then he said he was put to sleep
again by a crack over the head with a slung-shot. He was only
partially stunned,--Lord, what a liar!--and came to in time to hear
the struggle across the hall. The thief was running downstairs when he
staggered to the door. It seems that the door at the bottom of the
steps had not been closed that night.
"Now, my dear Mr. Barnes, when I asked you to lend your assistance
awhile ago, it was only to have you tell me when it was that Mr. Loeb
left this place, which way he went, and who accompanied him. If we are
to find the crown jewels, my friend, we will first have to find Prince
Ugo. He has them."
Barnes had not taken his eyes from the face of this amazing rascal
during the whole of the recital.
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